The Strength to Continue
by ForeverArwen
Summary: It has been two months since John disappeared from Astrid's life without a trace. Her only goal is to find him and tell him the truth: she loves him. But what happens when Jedikiah's treachery is revealed? How can she and John forge a relationship again; is it even possible?


Astrid sat quietly on Stephen's bed, thinking. She waited for him to come back from Ultra, or what was once Ultra. It acted now as the safe haven for the Tomorrow People, although Cara was trying to find a more permanent solution. They didn't even really need a safe haven anymore, at least not from anyone hunting them. But many had nowhere to go; if they had family they certainly weren't wanted back. So Cara and Stephen were working together to find somewhere totally safe for all of them. They needed a lot of room though, what with all the breakouts who had appeared since the Machine was destroyed.

The house seemed quiet around her, although she could hear Luca playing a video game in the next room. Stephen's mother and brother had returned to New York shortly after the Founder was defeated. But Marla was much more solemn now; Roger's death had taken such a toll on her. Everyone just seemed sad now. She was trying to hold it together but it was so hard.

Astrid lay back on the bed and sighed. John had been gone for two months now. That's how long it had been since he had kissed her hand and stepped off that subway car with Jedikiah. Two months of him being gone had made her feel so empty. She knew that he had still felt something for Cara, but she also knew that what they felt was real. And in the time that he had been absent she had come to grips with her feelings and realized that she had fallen for him long before the Founder took his powers. Truthfully, she was in love with him. Yet just like that he was gone. She knew that something must have happened; he wouldn't leave her like that, especially not after the perfect two weeks they had spent together. But Jed was just as off the radar as John; not even TIM could detect a trace of them.

Suddenly, Stephen was there, teleporting in. "Astrid! Hey."

"Is something wrong?" she asked. His expression was downcast. He walked over and sat down beside her. The look in his eyes was the one he had when bearing bad news. It was as bad as the day he had told her she would have to live in hiding underground. She pulled back to look at him.

"Stephen, what's going on?"

"Listen, I don't know how to tell you this. TIM found something today. He spotted Jedikiah on facial recognition and then he detected a tele-signature on John."

Astrid's eyes widened. "Wait…how is that possible? The Founder took his powers."

"I know; it's weird. Cara told me two months ago that she thought she felt John breaking out, but we agreed it was impossible. Jedikiah must have figured out a way to reverse engineer his DNA or something. That's the only thing that would make sense."

"But why hasn't he contacted us? " Her brow furrowed.

Stephen sighed. "I have no idea."

Astrid pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She had to find him. She couldn't handle not knowing what had happened, and something must have happened or he would have come back to her. "Stephen, will you help me find him, please?" Stephen nodded slowly.

"Right now though, it's late. You should sleep." Stephen looked her in the eyes. "Take my hand." She did, and then, they were in her room faster than she could process it. Being teleported was something she would probably still never get used to.

"Thanks," she said, smiling. He teleported out and her room was silent. Confusion filled her mind. John had been so sure to make sure she was safe, ever since she had met him. Abandoning her was certainly not his style. She didn't want to even think about what could have happened. She knew what Jedikiah was capable of. She groaned, and tears came to her eyes. She sat down slowly on her bed.

Suddenly her room shifted and the familiar sound of teleporting filled her ears. "Stephen, what do you want?" she exclaimed in a joking tone.

"Astrid?"

She gasped. It wasn't Stephen's voice, but it was so familiar to her. She sprang off her bed and whirled.

John was standing in the center of her bedroom.


End file.
